123 people found alive after escaping floods, landslides in northern Vietnam

Nguyen Van Tuan, chairman of the Coc Lau Commune People's Committee, on Thursday said 115 residents of Kho Vang Village fled to the mountains in the middle of the night after detecting signs of an impending landslide.

Four days earlier, these villagers had sought refuge on a mountain approximately one kilometer from their homes. Later that night, torrential rains triggered landslides, burying seven houses in the village. Although two people were injured and three others remain missing, authorities were unable to contact the 115 evacuees due to the lack of phone signals, leading them to be initially listed as missing.

On Thursday, police officers discovered the 115 villagers alive on the mountain, though they were found starving. Authorities have since deployed resources to provide them with food.

"Their village remains at high risk of further landslides, so we have permitted them to stay on the mountain for now. Once the situation stabilizes, we will bring them home," Tuan stated.

In a related incident, Hoang Van Diep, head of Nu Village, said on Friday that eight other people initially reported missing after a flash flood wiped out their village had also been found alive. Two families, each with four members, had escaped the deadly flash flood on Tuesday morning by taking shelter at a relative’s home. When part of the nearby Con Voi mountain, located about 500 meters from the village, collapsed, the families fled, only recently reuniting.

"They have lost their homes, but they are safe," Diep said.

However, landslides have buried 37 houses in Nu Village, affecting 158 people. To date, 48 deaths have been recorded, with 39 individuals still missing.

As of 5 p.m. Thursday, northern Vietnam had reported 233 deaths and 103 missing persons due to floods and landslides following the impact of Typhoon Yagi. Lao Cai suffered the highest casualties, with 98 deaths and 81 people still missing.